


You're not my father!

by Rose_SK



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avenger Loki (Marvel), Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Drama, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 04:38:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19124755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_SK/pseuds/Rose_SK
Summary: There were many irritating and exhausting aspects about his jobs that Tony frankly wished he could do without. He had never expected that the temper tantrum of a teenage boy would be what eventually made him snap.





	You're not my father!

** ‘You’re not my father!’ **

****

On most days, Tony was perfectly happy playing the part of the genius playboy millionaire, who used his knowledge to make this world a better place where ever he could. Green energy, biometric limbs, improving the equipment in the medical field were merely some of the areas Tony was interested in. There were many other ways Tony managed to change the world one generous deed at a time. Very recently, Tony had set up a bursary fund in his name for the less well-off American children, who despite excellent academic records were refused a place at a university based on their parents’ income. And last, but certainly not least, Tony also occasionally saved the world alongside the other Avengers. No biggie.

Tony felt like he owed it to everyone on Earth to make this world a better place, and on most days, he truly loved his job. On other days, however…

Tony generally hated the business meetings, the paper work, the conference calls with pig-headed investors… rightly enough, he could be just as stubborn as some of his more opinionated counterparts, but that was just beside the point. Pepper, God bless her soul, did all she could to make Tony’s life easier, but even she could only hold back the press for so long. Ah, the press. Another thorn in Tony’s foot. It felt like he could not go anywhere without hearing nosy journalists shout out his name and asking one obnoxious question after the other. There was a time where Tony did not mind what the press knew or did not know about him, but things had got a little bit more delicate when he and Loki had started dating. True, the former wanna-be destroyer of New York was on the way to redemption since he had (reluctantly) agreed to join the Avengers and fight alongside them to keep Earth safe. However, some people still did not think that was enough to make up for the lives he had taken in 2012. Tony understood, he really did, but he liked to remind people of how hypocritical they sounded. After all, Tony had once devised and sold weapons of mass destruction himself, and could also be held responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people. How was that any different?

Yes, there were many irritating and exhausting aspects about his jobs that Tony frankly wished he could do without. He had never expected that the temper tantrum of a teenage boy would be what eventually made him snap.

“But Mr Stark, _please_! I haven’t been out on a mission in _ages_!” Peter whined loudly as he followed Tony around his workshop, not giving him a moment’s respite.

“You haven’t been out because you hurt yourself badly on another mission.”

“My shoulder is healed, Mr Stark. Look, I can move it no problem, look!” Peter energetically moved his right arm back and forth, and up and down to prove his point. “I can climb perfectly well, and it doesn’t even hurt. Please, I just want to be useful again.”

Tony looked over to Loki, who up until then had been sitting quietly in his favourite corner of the workshop reading a brick and a half which he had the pretention to call a collection of ‘short stories’. He shot his oblivious lover a hopeful look, wishing the mage would help him reason with the argumentative teenager. Turned out the God was in no mood to be involved in this argument, and Tony would definitely find a way to make Loki pay for the amused smirk on his face. Bastard.

“I don’t think going out is wise yet. Sorry kid, but it’s a firm no from me. And I can make sure that it’s a firm no from everyone else on the team,” Tony quickly added when he noticed Peter about to argue, which caused the teenager to slump his shoulders in defeat. His pleading expression was replaced by a frustrated one.

“You always do this! You never give me a chance to prove myself. You always keep me away from the action. How come you never tell anyone else to take it slow, or sit a mission out? It’s always me, and it’s _not_ fair!” Peter had slightly raised his voice, but Tony decided to let it slide this one time.

“The others are adults who can take responsibility for their actions. You are still a kid, and I am responsible for your safety. Your aunt May would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you, and for the record, neither would I. You won’t be going on that mission, end of story.”

“If you never let me make my own mistakes, how am I ever going to learn?” Peter argued back, taking several challenging steps towards a less than impressed Tony. Out of the corner of his eyes, the engineer noticed that Loki was now looking up from his book and observing the scene attentively.

“How are you going to learn at all if you’re dead?” Tony countered confidently. He placed his screwdriver on the table next to the biometric arm he was working on and proceeded to cross his arms before his chest in a very patronising gesture. Peter’s hands balled into fists at his sides.

“I won’t die! I know how to take care of myself, I was doing it well before you came in the picture.”

“If I remember correctly, I had to save your ass more than once before you officially became part of the team!”

Tiredness, frustration and a strong lack of caffeine made it difficult for Tony to keep his cool. He could feel his blood boiling the way it had whenever he and Howard had fought. It was the same irritation that overwhelmed him when he argued with Loki and was met with a brick wall. Peter was getting too confident, which normally Tony would not see as a bad thing, but in the teenager’s case that confidence was turning into cockiness. Cockiness was what could get you killed in a fight.

“You always do this. You pretend that I owe my life to the great Tony Stark. You always act like I’m some nobody from the suburbs, who has lived a sheltered life and doesn’t know anything about the world. Guess what, Iron Man, you’re not the only one with a sob story. In case you’ve forgotten, I used to live with my _aunt_ unlike most of the kids in my school who lived with their _parents_.”

“Kid, I never said that you had it easy in life, alright? I would just like you to live to see the age of 21. Would be a right bummer to die before the legal drinking age, don’t you think?”

“Everything is a joke to you, isn’t it?”

“Your life isn’t a joke to me. You are my responsibility, Peter Parker! So while you’re living under _my_ roof, for free might I add, you will do as _I_ say especially where your safety is concerned. Have I made myself clear? I won’t tolerate you acting like a spoilt brat.”

Peter’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Tony. The engineer easily held the teenager’s gaze, not one to back down from a challenge. He knew his words were unnecessarily harsh, but Peter needed to hear them. Nothing else would have made him back down. The boy was too stubborn for his own good. Tony casually grabbed his screwdriver and angrily went back to fixing his prototype. The air was heavy with tension for a solid two minutes. None of the three men present in the room spoke, Peter merely stared and Loki’s eyes shifted between Tony and Peter, surveying the situation like a hawk but keeping any thoughts he might have to himself. Eventually, Peter huffed loudly and turned around to walk away. Tony prided himself on another crisis adverted. Only the engineer had not counted on Peter’s next words.

“You know what, Mr Stark? Screw you! You are not my father, and you can’t tell me what to do. I’m going back to aunt May!”

The door to his workshop slammed shut before Tony had a chance to say anything. He looked up from his project, his mouth slightly agape as he registered the teenager’s words. Tony did not know what to say. Sometimes Tony forgot that Peter chose to live at the compound with him rather than with his aunt. True, it was mainly to save her the worry and sleepless nights – although Tony was convinced that not having Peter live with her anymore only made things worse – but it had been Peter’s decision to move in. He had done so because he genuinely liked Tony, and because he wanted to spend as much time as he could with the engineer. Tony liked having the kid around, but he was aware that he was not the his father and that he could not hold him back if Peter decided to leave.

“Anthony?”

Loki’s voice snapped Tony out of his trance and brought him back to reality. He feigned indifference as he went back to work on the biometric arm on his work table. Tony could feel Loki’s disapproving look drilling a hole at the back of his head.

“Stop looking at me in that tone of voice, Loki! He’s seventeen, he can choose where he wants to live. I’ll give him money for the bus fare. He’ll stop being my problem when he’s back at his aunt’s.”

“You know that’s not true. You worry about him like he’s your own flesh and blood,” Loki remarked as his hands began to massage Tony’s tense shoulders. The engineer involuntarily relaxed under his lover’s ministrations, dropping his screwdriver as Loki worked on a particularly stubborn knot over his shoulder blade. 

“Yeah, well you heard him. I’m not his father.” Tony was glad that he had his back turned to Loki so the mage would not see the sad look in his eyes as those words were spoken.

“You sound rather bitter. His words have touched a nerve.”

They had, and trust Loki to point it out as casually as if he were discussing the weather. Tony sighed heavily and moved away from his lover, raking his fingers through his hair in a futile attempt to keep them out of his eyes. Loki did not move, merely following Tony’s movements with his eyes as he calmly waited for a response.

“Yeah, well maybe I don’t need the reminder, ever thought about that?”

Loki’s features softened instantly, and Tony thought he caught a glimpse of that infuriating smile again.

“Let me talk to the Spiderling?” Tony snorted derisively.

“If you want to waste your breath trying to reason with the kid, be my guest. I have a project to finish.”

Loki quickly understood that he was being dismissed. Tony was probably the only person in the entire universe who could get away with speaking to Loki that way and live to see another day. He truly had the mage wrapped around his little finger, but then again, the feeling was one hundred percent mutual.

“Very well. Don’t tire yourself out too much. I’ll see you later, Anthony.”

Tony acknowledged his lover’s words with a grunt, waiting until the mage was completely out of sight to address his AI.

“JARVIS, has Peter started packing yet?”

“It looks like he’s taken out a suitcase, but it remains empty. Mr Parker is currently lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling, sir.”

Tony could not help the little spark of hope that ignited in his chest at JARVIS’ words. Maybe there was still a chance that Loki would get through to Peter before it was too late.

“Thanks, J. Would it be petty if I listened to their conversation?”

“Probably, sir, but that has never stopped you before,” JARVIS said, earning himself a small chuckle from Tony.

“You know me too well, J.”

Almost instantly, a screen displaying Peter’s room appeared before Tony.

 

OoO

 

Loki knocked twice on Peter’s door, politely waiting for an answer rather than barging in uninvited. If he was going to convince the Spiderling to stay, he would have to be clever about it. Luckily, diplomacy had always been Loki’s forte.

“Leave me alone, you won’t change my mind!”

Well, that was not a great start, but nothing Loki had not heard before, albeit spoken more bluntly than what the mage was used to. Trying another approach, the God cleared his throat as he folded his hands behind his back.

“Peter, it’s Loki. I was wondering if you needed a hand with packing?”

A short pause followed his words, but Loki was confident that his tactic would work. He would give Peter exactly what he had asked for. He would treat him like an equal rather than an inferior. After all, it was all Peter had ever wanted from Tony and the other members of the team.

“Yeah, thanks. Come in.”

Loki tried to keep the satisfied smirk off his face as he entered the room, noticing with amusement that the Spiderling was still spread out on his bed, not showing any signs of packing yet. Peter looked up at Loki and managed a small, albeit saddened smile.

“So, you’re happy to see me leave, too?”

“It’s hardly my place to make you feel bad for wishing to stay, or to leave for that matter. I will certainly miss our conversations. I found myself growing quite fond of you over the past months you’ve spent at the compound.”

The God’s words seemed to take Peter by surprise. His eyebrows rose to his hairline as he straightened to better face Loki.

“Really? You like me?”

“Of course. You’ve given me no reason to dislike you.”

Peter’s eyes brightened, and although he tried to hide it, it did not escape Loki’s notice. If Tony and Peter were too stubborn to apologise for their harsh words, then Loki would find another way to fix this mess. He was good at settling arguments with words, always had been. It was a skill he had learned from his mother.

“I like you too, Mr Loki. I don’t get why the others don’t like you. I mean, I know _why_ , but I don’t really care. You’re the only one who doesn’t treat me like nothing more than a school kid, you know?”

“I grew up in my brother’s shadow,” Loki explained as he sat down next to Peter on the bed, “I would hate for you to feel the same way I did. You are very gifted in your own right, Peter.”

Peter’s smile was more genuine this time, and his entire demeanour seemed more relaxed. The suitcase next to the bed seemed forgotten already.

“I know that Anthony would miss you, too. He cares deeply for you, too.”

“Yeah, he has a weird way of showing how much he cares,” Peter said, dropping his back onto the mattress with an irritated sigh. “He’s just a grumpy old man. Why won’t he let me prove to him that I have what it takes to be on the team?”

“He does know how valuable you are to the Avengers, Peter. However, it’s harder for him to let go. Even if you don’t like it, he feels responsible for you and he worries about you more than for anyone else on the team.” Peter surveyed Loki’s face briefly before burying his face in the palms of his hands and letting out a frustrated groan. However, the mage could tell that the teenager’s frustration was directed at himself.

“I feel terrible. He worries about me the same way aunt May does, and I never told her that she’s not my mom. I know she’s not, but she’s the closest I have to one. It’s the same with Mr Stark, he’s the closest I’ll ever have to a dad. And I blew it. He hates me now, I’m sure!”

Loki looked up at the camera on the ceiling, knowing full well that Tony was listening to the conversation. The mage gave the camera a cheeky wink he knew his lover would pick up on before bringing his attention back to the guilt-ridden Spiderling.

“You know Peter, if there’s one thing I’ve learned very recently is that blood does not always determine who your family is. Family are those people that stand by your side, even when things get ugly. Family supports you no matter how much you push them away. Anthony may not be your biological father, but he is your family. And that also means that he’ll let you go as you please if that’s what you wish, but that doesn’t imply that he won’t miss you.”

Loki thought he saw Peter blink back tears. The mage had not expected the conversation to take such a serious turn, either. It was a topic that was too close to home for comfort, but Loki purposefully kept vague about his heritage and his relationship with Odin. He still had not entirely forgiven the Allfather for his betrayal, but he was getting there. Odin had died referring to Loki as his son. That was as close to an apology as Loki was ever going to get. Peter did not need to know that. They were not his issues.

“I would miss you guys too. I mean, I miss Aunt May too, but it’s not like I don’t go see her every day anyway. I could move back in with her, and visit you guys every day too?”

“OR,” Tony’s familiar voice interrupted the not-so-private conversation as he waltzed into Peter’s room unannounced, “you could just put that ugly suitcase away and get your ass downstairs, Pepper told me pizza’s just been delivered.”

“Anthony!”

Loki was not sure how he felt about this abrupt appearance, and he made a mental note to personally strangle Tony if he had managed to mess up his entire plan. The warning look he shot his lover hopefully got this point across, but if Tony was fazed at all he did a good job at hiding it. Peter stood up after a brief moment of hesitation and took a few tentative steps towards the engineer. To Loki’s surprise, the Spiderling hugged Tony shyly.

“I’m sorry, Mr Stark,” came the whispered apology. Loki smiled fondly as he observed Tony sigh in resignation and tap Peter’s shoulder in a fatherly way.

“I’m sorry too, kid. And you can go on the next mission, but if you come back with as much as a scratch, you’re banned from missions for at least a month! No, make that three months. Or six, depending on how big the scratch is.” Tony stared sternly at Peter, but the teenager seemed unaffected by the action.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you Mr Stark! And thank you Mr Loki,” Peter said, addressing Loki directly and taking the mage by surprise, “thanks for offering to help me pack, but I won’t need your help after all.”

“No, I dare say you won’t,” Loki confirmed. Peter hugged Tony one last time before rushing out the door, leaving the mage and the engineer behind.

“You were spying on us.” It was not an accusation, but rather a statement. Tony did not even look sorry as he avoided acknowledging his lover’s words.

“You’re really good with him. Better than I could have ever been.”

“I had a good teacher. My mother was often the mediator between Odin and I.” A nostalgic smile graced Loki’s lips and he allowed it to linger for a few seconds before meeting Tony’s gaze. The engineer held the loving look and cupped Loki’s face in his hands to place a soft kiss on his prince’s lips.

“I would have loved to meet her. She sounds like a great woman.”

“She was. She would have loved you a lot,” Loki assured Tony as he rested his forehead against his lover’s, intertwining their fingers and brining their joined hand to rest on his chest, “but no one could ever love you more than I.”

“Naw, why aren’t you a sappy sap today?” Tony joked to hide the emotions bubbling to the surface following Loki’s words. The small smile appearing on the mage’s face was comforting and familiar.

“That’s your bad influence on me,” was all Loki retorted before locking their lips in a tender kiss once again while silently thanking the universe for his family, and vowing to protect them with everything he had.  

 


End file.
